Theme 3: Human Impacts on Catchments

Topic: Indigenous Management of Catchments

Originally, Australia was populated only by the Indigenous people of Australia - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Indigenous Australia is a multicultural society. It's not one group of people, there is not one language, nor religious belief. There are 300 distinct Aboriginal language groups and numerous dialects, but many of these have disappeared.

Traditional living and land management

Indigenous people divided the land up into traditional lands using geographic boundaries such as rivers, lakes and mountains. Their knowledge about boundaries was passed down by the Elders to the younger people. Indigenous people lived a hunter and gatherer lifestyle. The men hunted large animals such as kangaroos, emus and turtles and the women and children hunted smaller animals and collected fruits, berries and other plants. On the coast, people caught fish and collected many types of shellfish including mussels and oysters.

To maintain the fragile environment, and due to seasonal variations, people would only stay in an area for a certain time. This helped make sure they didn't hunt, fish or harvest an area too much so there would be food for the next season. Every part of the animal and plant was eaten or used to make things such as clothing, baskets, tools and weapons.

In Aboriginal culture, traditional land and sea ownership is based on customary law, passed on from generation to generation. This sacred trust involves the passing on of that information to defined groups or people, their ancestors and descendants. Individual clans 'speak' in different capacities for particular areas of land and generally have the responsibility to protect and look after sites of cultural and religious significance, known as dreaming and sacred sites. Creation ancestors form part of a living landscape and practices such as hunting and foraging have an important place in contemporary Aboriginal life.

Water management

Water had deep spiritual significance for Aboriginal people. They believed their dreaming ancestors created there and controlled its continual supply. Water was obtained from three main sources - surface water collected from creeks, waterholes and claypans. Underground water was obtained from soakages or springs and water was also extracted from a variety of sources including roots, flowers and even frogs. There were no long-term storage facilities, but containers were made from a variety of natural substances including wood, bark, bone or skin. Many early European explorers relied on Aboriginal guides and tracks to find water.

Enquiry Learning

• How did Indigenous Australians originally manage water and catchments? What can we learn from them?
• Which Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander groups/people are in your community and catchment area? What is the history of Aboriginal people in your catchment area?
• Research different ways indigenous people collected and stored water and food.

Internet Resources

Type	Description	Resources Covering the Topic
Easy	Aboriginal Education resources for South Australia. Many resources and educator support pages with many links and reference.	Department of Education and Children’s Services www.aboriginaleducation.sa.edu.au/ pages/cg0000492/
	Brief summary of Aboriginal occupation of the Murray Darling region.	The Murray Urban Users Committee www.murrayusers.sa.gov.au/ aboriginal_occupation.htm
	Indigenous food sources - Barwon Wetlands.	Environment Australia www.ea.gov.au/soe/2001/inland/ water03-3b.html#cs13
	An online exhibition about the Nguruderi People; the Aboriginal people of the Lower Murray, Lakes and Coorong. Informative and comprehensive.	SA Museum www.samuseum.sa.gov.au/ ngurunderi/nghome.htm
	Ingarnendi material culture of Aboriginal Australia.	SA Museum www.ingarnendi.samuseum.sa.gov.au
	Tips and resources for teachers about indigenous studies.	Australian Museum www.dreamtime.net.au/teachers/ index.cfm

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